Ice cream cone dispenser

Abstract

An ice cream cone dispenser for dispensing cones from a carton thereof containing columns of nested cones. The dispenser comprises a stand support of L-shaped configuration having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion. A rectangular stand chamber, open at its top and bottom, is removably mounted at the upper end of the vertical portion of the stand support, overlying the horizontal stand support portion. A removable crumb tray is mounted on the stand support horizontal portion beneath the stand chamber. A rectangular carton adapter, open at its top and bottom, is so sized as to be mountable within the stand chamber and to just nicely receive and support the open bottom end of a cone carton. The carton adapter, at its open bottom end, supports a horizontal dispensing baffle. The dispensing baffle has a cutout therein for each column of nested cones in the cone carton. Each cutout has a series of resilient fingers which engage the bottommost cone of its respective column permitting it to extend partway through the cutout and to be pulled through the cutout while retaining the rest of the column in place. The bottom end of the stand chamber may be provided with a hinged closure.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An ice cream cone dispenser for dispensing cones from a carton thereof of the type containing columns of nested cones and having an openable bottom end, said dispenser comprising a chamber having a front wall, side walls and a rear wall with an open top and an open bottom, means to support said chamber with said front, side and rear walls substantially vertical and with access to said bottom thereof, a carton adapter comprising a rectangular four-walled element receivable within said chamber and having an open top and an open bottom, means to support said carton adapter within said chamber comprising a hook-shaped flange at the upper edge of each of said four walls of said carton adapter extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom, each of said flanges being so sized and configured as to have a hook-like engagement with the upper edge of one of said chamber walls when said carton adapter is located within said chamber to suspend said carton adapter within said chamber, said carton adapter being so dimensioned as to receive said bottom end of said cone carton in opened condition, means within said carton adapter to support said opened bottom end of said cone carton, a cone dispensing baffle comprising a substantially planar member having cutouts therein equal in number to said columns of cones in said cone carton, said cutouts being so sized as to permit a cone to pass therethrough, a series of inwardly extending resilient fingers in association with each cutout to support its respective column of cones thereabove with the bottommost cone of said column extending partway through said cutout, said fingers being distortable so that the bottommost cone can be dispensed by being pulled through said cutout past said fingers, the remainder of said column being retained by said fingers, and means on said carton adapter to support said dispensing baffle within said chamber near said open bottom thereof. 
     
     
       2. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said means to support said chamber comprises an L-shaped stand support having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, said rear wall of said chamber being mountable on the upper end of said vertical stand support portion with said chamber overlying and spaced upwardly from said stand support horizontal portion. 
     
     
       3. The structure claimed in claim 1 including a closure for said open bottom of said chamber, said closure being hingedly affixed to said chamber rear wall and swingable between a substantially horizontal closed position and a downwardly depending open position. 
     
     
       4. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said means to support said opened bottom end of said cone carton within said carton adapter comprises a substantially horizontal, inwardly extending stop lug on the inside surface of each of said four carton adapter walls, said stop lugs being substantially coplanar. 
     
     
       5. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said means on said carton adapter to support said dispensing baffle comprises a downwardly and outwardly extending flange on the lower edge of each of three of said four carton adapter walls, each of said flanges terminating in an inturned substantially horizontal portion, said horizontal portions being substantially coplanar, said dispensing baffle being removably supported on said inturned horizontal portions. 
     
     
       6. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein said dispensing baffle comprises an assembly of two coextensive metallic sheets and a coextensive sheet of resilient material therebetween, said metallic sheets having corresponding openings formed therein equal in number to the number of cone columns in said cone carton and positioned to underlie said cone columns when said dispenser and said cone carton are fully assembled, the portion of said resilient sheet exposed by each of said corresponding openings in said metallic sheets having one of said cutouts formed therein, each of said cutouts being provided with a diameter greater than that of a cone to be dispensed therethrough and with radially inwardly extending fingers of said resilient sheet terminating short of the center of said cutout. 
     
     
       7. The structure claimed in claim 2 including a substantially planar crumb tray removably mounted of said horizontal portion of said stand support, said crumb tray having upturned edges. 
     
     
       8. The structure claimed in claim 6 wherein said resilient sheet material comprises food grade washable rubber having a durometer of from substantially 55 to substantially 65 and preferably about 60, and having a thickness of about 1/16 inch. 
     
     
       9. The structure claimed in claim 6 wherein said means to support said chamber comprises an L-shaped stand support having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, said rear wall of said chamber being mountable on the upper end of said vertical stand support portion with said chamber overlying and spaced upwardly from said stand, support horizontal portion. 
     
     
       10. The structure claimed in claim 8 wherein said metallic sheets comprise 0.015 inch thick anodized aluminum. 
     
     
       11. The structure claimed in claim 9 wherein said means to support said carton adapter within said chamber comprises a hook-shaped flange at the upper edge of each of said four walls of said carton adapter extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom, each of said flanges being so sized and configured as to have a hook-like engagement with the upper edge of one of said chamber walls when said carton adapter is located within said chamber to suspend said carton adapter within said chamber. 
     
     
       12. The structure claimed in claim 11 wherein said means on said carton adapter to support said dispensing baffle comprises a downwardly and outwardly extending flange on the lower edge of each of three of said four carton adapter walls, each of said flanges terminating in an inturned substantially horizontal portion, said horizontal portions being substantially coplanar, said dispensing baffle being removably supported on said inturned horizontal portions. 
     
     
       13. The structure claimed in claim 12 wherein said means to support said opened bottom end of said cone carton within said carton adapter comprises a substantially horizontal, inwardly extending stop lug on the inside surface of each of said four carton adapter walls, said stop lugs being substantially coplanar. 
     
     
       14. The structure claimed in claim 13 including a substantially planar crumb tray removably mounted of said horizontal portion of said stand support, said crumb tray having upturned edges. 
     
     
       15. The structure claimed in claim 14 including a closure for said open bottom of said chamber, said closure being hingedly affixed to said chamber rear wall and swingable between a substantially horizontal closed position and a downwardly depending open position.